


Concrete Jungle

by NSB_Luci



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Alcohol, Other, probably will get a little lewd but only a little bit, soft happy times bc i like to self indulge, will update frequently
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:25:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23030125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NSB_Luci/pseuds/NSB_Luci
Summary: Elliot Witt is terrified of facing Bloodhound in battle. He just can't kill them no matter how hard he tries, but when he asks them for help with his problem, he ends up realizing the true reason he's scared of them.
Relationships: Bloodhound/Mirage | Elliott Witt
Comments: 23
Kudos: 77





	1. Lightning

**Author's Note:**

> hi this is my first ever published fic!!!!!!!!! i'm in love with bloodhound and all i wanna do is create content for them, so i thought i'd help populate the elliot/bloodhound tag with some good old self indulgence!!!! pls enjoy <3 i'll be updating this regularly! thank you to zach and allison for proofreading this for me<3

It was a calm, rain filled night in the Apex tower where every legend's lodgings were located, and there wasn't a soul in sight as Elliot Witt strolled through the building. He had a rare few days of peace as the games had been on hold due to the rough weather outside, and he was getting a bit tired of being cooped up with not much to do. He could've gone out to a bar or explored the rest of the night life the city had to offer, but tonight he just wasn't feeling it. It may have been the melancholy atmosphere of the weather, but either way he just wasn't feeling all too sociable tonight.

Elliot was on his way to one of the lounges the tower had to offer for a drink, he'd decide what to have when he got there, and to watch the world go by. The legends were high above the rest of the city from the sheer height of the tower, and on a calm night like this it was perfect for having a chilled out evening.

As he walked, Elliot briefly closed his eyes and just enjoyed the sound of the rain on the windows, with the occasional light rumble of thunder. He took a second to fondly think of Natalie, she must love this.

Reaching the lounge, he pushed open the door and paused as he realized someone else had gotten there before him, 

Bloodhound. 

They turned their head at the sound of someone opening the door and politely raised their hand to wave. They were sat at a mahogany table next to one of the ceiling high windows overlooking the city with a steaming cup of tea in front of them. The room was dark without the main lights on, instead there was some faint purple mood lighting and LEDs lighting up the small bar on the back wall of the room. The trickster instantly smiled and walked on over, happy that Bloodhound didn't seem bothered that he came in.

"May I?" Elliot gestured towards the chair next to the hunter, and Bloodhound nodded in return.

"By all means."

Elliot pulled the chair out and sat down, one leg crossed over the other and his arm resting on the back of it, smiling smugly right at the hunter. "So, you come here often?"

Bloodhound doesn't say anything straight away to Elliot's terrible one liner, instead they cross their arms and lean back into their chair, looking outside at the rain.

"No, I was just admiring the weather." Their voice was soft and calm unlike the harsh weather outside, and that combined with the soft mood lighting made Elliot relax comfortably into his chair. He bobs his head calmly in agreement, looking outside as well and watching a single raindrop on the window.

"Yeah, can't say I blame you, I pretty much came to do the same thing." He flicked his hair back briefly and paused when he got a whiff of the tea Bloodhound had in front of him. It smelled like chamomile with a slightly sweet undertone, but if the small flask the hunter had on their waist was anything to go by, it definitely wasn't just tea. This prompted Elliot to stand back up to get a drink, walking backwards with his thumb pointing over his shoulder to the bar. "You in the mood for anything, or...?"

"I am fine, but thank you, Felagí." Bloodhound briefly uncrosses one arm to gesture at his drink, and Elliot shrugs.

"'Aight, cool, cool..." Elliot's efforts to look as cool and smooth as possible were foiled when he tripped a little on a small ledge leading up to the bar, and his ears went a little red when he looked up at Bloodhound watching him. Nice one.

He avoided goggle to eye contact as he walked behind the bar and picked up a small glass to put his drink into and put it on the counter. There was a cherry red sangria in the fridge behind him, and he poured that into his glass(making sure he got plenty of cherries in it) and sauntered back over to the table.

They both sat in silence for a while, they didn't feel the need to fill the quiet with small talk when they had both come for some peace and quiet in the first place. Every so often Elliot sneaked a peak at Bloodhound's profile as they sipped on their drink and chewed some of the fruit, and he couldn't help but wonder how they planned on drinking their tea. They couldn't do it with that mask on surely? Was he stopping them from drinking it by being there? He felt a little self concious as he thought about it but suddenly jumped when lightning struck not too far away from them. Seeing him flinch from the corner of their vision, Bloodhound turned their head towards Elliot, tilting it quizzically at him.

"Mother of...Uh...S-sorry." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as his heart hammered in his chest from the adrenaline.

"Are you alright?" Bloodhound asked softly, the rolling r's keeping Elliot's heart from calming down.

"Yeah, I was just uh...Y'know, in my own world, heh." He paused. "So, um...How are you planning on drinking that? I don't wanna pry, but if it's going cold 'cuz of me I can go somewhere else."

Bloodhound briefly looked at their drink before replying.

"Do not fret, it is fine. I am content like this, however..." They stood up and patted Elliot on the shoulder as they walked past him to the bar. "You are right, it would be a waste to let it go cold."

Elliot's gaze followed Bloodhound as they looked for something behind the bar, it didn't take them long to find what they were looking for and they showed him what it was as they walked back. In their hands was a typical looking straw, a semi-translucent white one with no bend. 

"You gonna tell me you have some secret flap or something you use to drink stuff with?" He almost laughed with the absurdity of the situation.

"I do not have a secret flap." 

"Then how...?" They sat down and while upright, put the straw in their tea. Bloodhound then held the bottom of their mask right on their chin and pulled it away from their face slightly, facing Elliot and angling their face down to obscure any chance of him seeing anything, and drank the rest of the tea through the straw in one go.

"...Huh. I guess that's one way of doing it." He says quietly, slowly sipping his drink.

Bloodhound fixes their mask and puts their mug down before leaning back into their chair once more. "If it works." They shrug slightly.

Elliot snorts in response and puts his feet up on the chair opposite him from the table.

"Hey, so...I've always kinda wondered, what's your reason for bein' in the games anyway? With everyone else it's kinda obvious but you're hard to figure out. I on the other hand just had to share my beautiful face with the rest of the universe, it's a crime to keep something this good locked away." He winks, and then winks again to really get the point across when Bloodhound doesn't react.

He hears them exhale softly(sighing? Agreeing wistfully? Elliot hopes it's the latter) and he wiggles his eyebrows with a smug grin.

"I live for the hunt. The barrier between life and death is where I feel most alive, and I wish to honour the Allfather with my victories." They sound confident and sure of themselves with each word, not an inch of hesitation. Elliot's grin fades as he remembers all the times Bloodhound has sent them home from the arena and he's honestly not sure if he has ever beat them in a fair fight.

It sends a shiver down his spine as he recalls a few times where Bloodhound had chased him down through one of the partially destroyed cities in World's Edge. Elliot thought he was good at parkour and losing people, but Bloodhound followed right behind him, never losing him once. He remembers them grabbing him by the scarf and slamming him into the floor, keeping him there with one foot on his chest. Their goggles glowed a bright red as they breathed heavily, almost growling, and told him 'Never forget the eyes of Blothhundr' before bringing their axe down onto his head. He tells himself that he sent out a decoy and it just didn't work, but the truth was he was paralyzed by the sight in front of him and just couldn't do anything before everything went black.

Elliot liked to think he could at least fight evenly with all of the other legends, but with Bloodhound...He always ended up choking. Of course he had won the odd time or two, but he'd never admit that it was only because he got help from his teammates. At this point he wondered if he was just scared of them on the battlefield with how his heart raced every time he detected a sonar or heard Bloodhound growling on the other end of his team's mic as they finished them off.

Elliot nervously rubbed his hands together and wondered if any of the other legends felt this way too.

"Y'know...You're pretty scary on the battlefield, but seeing you like this is...How d'you put it..." He hums and taps his chin. "Humanizing? You're kinda like the boogeyman in the arena to me when you er...Kill me so often..." He sheepishly looks off to the side before sneaking a glance back up to the hunter.

They're looking at him intently, not moving a muscle as they give him all of their attention, the weather outside forgotten altogether.

"Does that imply that I haunt your dreams at night?" Elliot can hear a slight twinge of smugness on their tongue, they find this amusing.

"I-what! Pfft, no! O-of course not!" He splutters, trying to find an answer that isn't embarassing or unbelievable. He isn't very good at this. "You're just...I mean the whole m-mask shit and glowing eyes stuff is terrifying when you're ch-cha-che...Running after someone!" Elliot is trying too hard and this makes Bloodhound chuckle silently, prompting them to cover the mouth of their mask with their hand.

"Then next time we fight I shall come at you without calling upon the Allfather." Elliot scoffs at this, insulted that they wouldn't come at him with their full strength.

"Oh no you won't, I have pride, yanno! I'm not gonna accept a win without you doing your best against me."

"I apologize, I did not mean to insult you. Take your pride and cherish it, Felagí, that is the true victory." They bow their head respectfully and Elliot's anger quickly fades. He can't stay mad at that.

"Oh...Er...Yeah..." Elliot pauses, racking his brain for a solution to his hesitation when it comes to beating them. "Hey, uh...D'you wanna train with me tomorrow? I was thinking maybe if I fight you without being in the arena with a win on the line, I could finally beat you...Prah-prubab...nevermind." He looks away, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

He hears them shuffle slightly, and looks back to see them sat upright and just a tad closer, close enough to fondly pat his knee before standing up once more. "10:00am, I will meet you there and we shall battle."

Elliot's ears go pink again at the sudden touch and willingness to help him, turning towards them as they go to leave the room, mug in hand. "It's a date!" He grins.

"We shall see, góða nótt, Elliot." They bow their head once more in goodbye and walk out of the room, barely making a sound despite the heavy boots they were wearing.

Once they had left the room, Elliot let out a breath he had been holding in and sunk back into his chair - suddenly exhausted from being on edge the entire time. His ears stayed warm for quite some time after they left and he sat there for another 10 minutes, gazing out of the window in front of him while thoughts swirled around his head.

Eventually he pushed himself up and left to go back to his apartment and went to bed early as he had quite the day to look forward to tomorrow.


	2. Ruthless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took a lot longer than I wanted it to, but apparently writing fight scenes is very hard!!!!!!!!!!!! >:0 pls enjoy anyway :pray:
> 
> huge thanks to zach once again for proof reading, ilu<3

10:00am on the dot was when it was planned, and that's the time when Mirage the Champion of the Apex Games walked into the training area. Well...Not quite the champion, but he was a champion. He hadn't won as many games as Bloodhound for sure(he wasn't sure if anyone had) but he was a fierce fighter and king of the ring in his own right. For as much as Bloodhound was an absolute terror on the battlefield, it's not like anyone would mess with Elliot either when he was in the ring, unless they were trying to prove something.

Elliot strutted out of the cave leading to the training grounds and paused at the maw, trying to pinpoint his training partner for the day. It didn't take him long to spot a familiar figure sat on a rock in the middle of the area, lovingly scratching under their bird's beak as they waited. Elliot grinned as they spotted them and launched himself down the slope, it created a cloud of dry dust behind him as he slid and this prompted Bloodhound to look up at the mess barrelling towards them. They simply watched as he skidded to a halt in front of them, ran a hand through their hair, fingergunned at them and winked.

"Góðan daginn, Elliot, I hope you are ready." They give Artur one last scratch before they forrce the bird away from any danger that Elliot brought with him, they watch as she flies off to one of the cliffs surrounding them.

"Hey, sweetcheeks! I'm just gonna assume that means hi or something, but you know I'm ready for this." Elliot rubs his gloved hands together excitedly, he really couldn't wait to finally get a one up on Bloodhound.

"...Yes, well, I thought perhaps if we desensitize you to me hunting you, that would be enough to put us on more even footing. I suggest we do this by fighting until you're comfortable by using the instant respawns available in this area." Bloodhound stood up and crossed their arms as they spoke, Elliot nodding along as they looked out over the training grounds.

He had been here many times since joining the games, but he had always thought of it as more of a firing range than a training ground. It was a decently large patch of land away from any civilization(just in case), but it was also very open and he wondered how well he could juke the hunter in a place like this. He pursed his lips as he thought about how they wouldn't even need to track him here, but then shook it off.

"Sounds good, anything else you wanna add?" He does a few lunges and shakes his wrists after, bouncing from one foot to the other as he gets ready to run for his life.

"That is all, choose your weapons and we will start on my cue." Elliot nods in response and they both roam the area for their favourite weapons and ammo, he chooses a peacekeeper and hemlock while Bloodhound picks out a longbow and wingman. They both pick up some armour and health items too, Elliot is skeptical that he will use his but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

They stand at opposite sides of the arena, Bloodhound up on the small cliffs behind the dummies and Elliot standing at the bottom of the ramp he came in from. The hunter's arm is raised into the air, ready to start the carnage at any moment. Both of them had their weapons away, but they were both also positioned to take them out as soon as Bloodhound lowered their arm.

After a few tense seconds, the hunter abruptly lowered their arm, and before Elliot could react, they were barreling towards him with their wingman out. He dived to the side, rolling on his back and hiding behind one of the weapon racks so he wasn't just a sitting duck. He had no reprieve as Bloodhound only took a second to round the corner, shooting Elliot once in the arm as he ducked and weaved away. He slid back down the small ramp in front of him before jumping onto the cliffs as Bloodhound switched to their longbow, hoping to halt him in his tracks. They managed to get one shot off as Elliot hauled himself out of sight, but missed just as he got over the wall. They tutted to themselves quietly, switching weapons again as they jogged after him. 

Elliot cursed to himself quietly for running away like that, but he knew that if he took that fight they would have bested him easily. He didn't waste time trying to get some more space between them, he didn't want them to instantly kill him in the first round after all. He managed to climb another level and get into a better position as he watched Bloodhound emerge from where he was just a second ago, and he kept low to the ground as he watched them twirl their wingman around their index finger, humming quietly to themselves as they looked around. 

It was obvious to Elliot how confident and fearless they were in this moment, and it almost frustrated him, but at the same time he couldn't help but stare. In the back of his mind, he was subconscious aware that this was perhaps the first time he had spent time alone with Bloodhound. He'd seen them around of course, but only ever when the top legends had met up for after game parties and the like. There had been the odd few times where they had passed by each other and said a friendly greeting, but they never took up too much of each other's time. Elliot knew this wasn't exactly the most intimate bonding time out there, but he was pretty happy that they were doing this now. There was something about mysterious people like them that made him want to find out everything about them. They were simply magnetic and he hoped this would be the start of peeling back their hard shell that kept them a secret from the rest of the world. It was at this moment he thought maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as scared of them as he was captivated by them.

Elliot snapped out of his reverie once Bloodhound started walking towards his position, they quickly figured out where he was and they were heading straight towards him. Elliot swallowed thickly, his only hope of winning was getting the jump on them, so that's what he was going to do.

Bloodhound reacted instantly to movement from the corner of their eye, shooting what they thought was Elliot twice as they ran out from behind cover, only for them to fizzle out of existence. They didn't stop in surprise or hesitate in the slightest at Elliot's clone, instead they ran for where the clone emerged from. They vaulted over a large rock, expecting to see Elliot there - and he was, but instead of one Elliot...There was multiple. Bloodhound was crouched slightly in a defensive and alert stance, rapidly looking between each clone and beyond, not knowing which of them was real or fake or if he would suddenly come out.

Bloodhound loudly whistled and instantly their raven swooped down from one of the cliffs surrounding the arena and flew over to the left of them. They cawed loudly to show their handler what they were looking for, and Bloodhound cautiously walked over. Just as they turned the corner however, an invisible object caught them by the ankle and they fell forward with a heavy thump and a loud yelp. Bloodhound turned their torso to face whatever tripped them and was greeted by the smug face of Elliot materializing from nothing as he uncloaked.

"You could say you're really...Falling for me." Elliot tried his best to hold in a long snort but failed, the peacekeeper he was pointing towards Bloodhound shaked a little at his terrible attempt to hold it in. Bloodhound's grip tightens around their wingman before they lift it and double tap Elliot right in the head - downing him instantly. Elliot grunts as he falls to his hands and knees, suddenly regretting every decision he's ever made. He looks up to see Bloodhound now standing over him and watches with a pout as they take their time unhooking their axe from their belt.

"You are the one who has fallen before me, Elliot Witt." He could hear the cockiness in their voice as they twirled their prized posession around their index finger, and he wasn't gonna lie, there were much worse ways to die. He may have had the worst headache ever due to them, but the way they said their name with that accent made Elliott's face flush pink.

"You smug little-"

\--

After roughly 4 hours of playing cat and mouse, Elliot and Bloodhound sit panting under the afternoon sun. Elliott was lying down flat on the floor, dripping sweat and aching in places he didn't know were possible, while Bloodhound was sat up, both arms behind them with one leg bent at the knee in front of them. Their weapons were haphazardly littered around them with little care due to how tired they were, but at that moment neither of them cared. Bloodhound had managed to win most of the fights, but nearer the end Elliot managed to swipe some wins out from under their feet which he was happy about.

They stayed like that for a good 10 minutes, waiting for their breathing to calm down before either one of them did anything. Eventually though, Elliott had composed himself enough that he rolled onto his side and propped his head up with his hand so he could stare at the hunter before him. Seeing him move out of the corner of their eye, they briefly turned their head to watch Elliott prop himself up, but looked away again just as quickly.

"So." Elliott chewed on his lip as he searched his frazzled brain for something to say. "I like your axe, it's pretty cool. Can I look at it?" Slick as ever.

Bloodhound turns their head towards him again, weighing the question in their mind before sitting upright and unhooking their axe from their belt. "Be careful." They warn him before placing it in Elliott's hand.

"I will," He pauses as he accepts the axe, "thanks." Bloodhound nods in reply and doesn't look away this time as Elliott carefully examines the axe. He had seen it pierce his chest and skull numerous times in the past few hours, but he never got to have a close look at it before now. It was a beautiful weapon, and Elliott could feel the love Bloodhound felt for it as he turned it over in his hands. The elaborate raven cast, hand engraved runes and homely beads dangling from the bottom gave it that personal touch that Elliott was surprised to see in something belonging to the secretive hunter. It radiated that rustic feel that Bloodhound gave off naturally with their aesthetic, and even if he didn't know them that well he could tell that this was the perfect weapon for them. 

He slowly rubbed his fingers and thumb over the blade of the axe, watching as the edge pulsated with a mysterious red hue and wondered how much this axe had seen with Bloodhound in its life. He felt a twang of jealousy in his heart and paused, confused for a split second. Elliott? Jealous over an axe? That wasn't right...He suddenly felt uncomfortable and handed it back to Bloodhound, who then held it up and rubbed their forefinger under the steel raven's beak briefly before putting it back where it came from on their belt. This sent another twinge of jealousy coursing through Elliott, who in turn looked away and twiddled his thumbs anxiously.

Elliott was not an idiot, he knew what was happening and he wasn't sure if he was okay with it at that moment. Of all people to be suddenly crushing on, it had to be the person who had spent 4 hours mercilessly murdering them just a little while ago. 

Elliott snapped back into reality when suddenly Bloodhound spoke up. "I believe this was a successful venture, I could tell you gained confidence near the end. Well done." They were looking straight at him and it was hard to look right at them in return when he was having a bit of a breakdown inside his head.

"...Mirage?" Their head tilted to the side slightly. "Are you-"

"Yeah! Sorry, I guess i'm just a little frustrated that I didn't do better, y'know? Anyway!" Elliots claps his hands together and sits upright, fully facing Bloodhound. "I should thank you properly for all of this. Me and some of the other legends were gonna get together at my place tonight, wanna come? It's nothing formal or anything, we're just gonna have a few drinks n'stuff before the games start again." Elliot watches their reaction nervously. They weren't known for joining their get-togethers, but there was no harm in asking at least. He just wanted to get a bit closer to them.

They looked away briefly, silently tapping their thigh with a single finger as they thought about their answer.

"I cannot promise I'll stay, but...I could join you for a while." With that, they stood up as Elliott excitedly grinned at them and they extended at hand to help him up. Elliot allowed them to help pull him up, and he felt his ears warm up as he briefly held their hand.

"Great! My room at 8, I'll see you there." Elliott winked and fingergunned at them with his signature grin as they crossed their arms. He could almost imagine them raising an eyebrow at him behind their mask, but that wouldn't discourage him. They don't say anything for a second, instead they look him up and down before turning around towards the arena entrance.

"You are a strange man." Bloodhound remarks as they go to leave. Elliott splutters momentarily before jogging after them.

"H-hey! You have no right to call me strange, you walking mystery!" He pouts as he catches up to them.

"That may be so." They pause. "However...Is it not equally as strange to flirt with the...'Walking mystery'?" They sounded somewhat smug as they tilted their head once more at Elliott. This made Elliott splutter even more as their face turned red, he could feel the heat radiating off of his face.

"Oh, you are just...! Argh! I-I just flirt! That's my trademark and you know it! I am so destroying your ass in the next game, just you wait." Elliott's pout intensifies and Bloodhound shakes their head, but this goes unnoticed by Elliott as he hooks his thumbs into his belt and looks off to the side. 

Once they get to the exit, Bloodhound holds out their hand for a handshake and Elliott accepts. They say their goodbyes and praise for each other's skills before leaving, but Elliott just can't seem to get rid of the anxiety in the back of their mind about the night ahead of him.


	3. Kissing Strangers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when do I start classing this as a slow burn lolol, but here's the party!!!!!! I hope u guys enjoy this!<3 this is where things start heating up a little :D I made a playlist on youtube of songs for this so you don't have to go looking for the ones I mentioned in the fic, I spent a long time thinking about what songs to choose - I'm pretty proud of Octane's one c: also, I'm ETERNALLY grateful for all the comments and kudos I've gotten!!! thank u so much, u all motivate me more than u know ;_;<3
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfoe_wdUI-_OwZjeQBrPIATayRsyyBxld

It was 7:30pm, and Elliot's apartment was completely party-proof. All breakable trophies had been hidden away in closets, he had locked his bedroom door and he'd deep cleaned everything in sight. He had laid out a lovely spread of numerous drinks on his kitchen island, most of them alcoholic, as well as plenty of snacks. He had an open plan kitchen so it merged with the rest of the apartment, sans his bedroom which was kept private. Elliott was pretty proud of his spread and the atmosphere he had created, especially with the mood lighting. It really tied it all together with the deep purple and blue turning his apartment into a lavish party paradise.

Octane, or Octavio, was currently sprawled out on his couch, busying himself with some noisy rhythm game he was humming along to on his laptop. He had come early just to hang around while Elliott got everything ready for later. He often barged in to lounge around and bug Elliott if he was bored, sometimes even dragging legends over with him if he found them in the hallway. Elliott appreciated the company and never turned him away, even if it was 3am and Octavio couldn't sleep from all of the energy drinks he'd chugged. Over time this had made them pretty close compared to other legends, and Elliott found himself in Octavio's company fairly often. 

Currently, Octavio was wearing a cropped white T-shirt and a black zip up jacket that was open, revealing his toned stomach, and neon green shorts that matched his hair. His cracked goggles were resting on his head and he was missing his usual face mask he wore in the games, but he still had his fingerless gloves on.

Elliott on the other hand was far less casual, instead opting for a long sleeved metallic gold button up shirt and black pants, accenting it with some silver rings and minimal make-up. It wasn't a Mirage party without something to draw eyes towards him after all.

"Dude, even for you, staring into a mirror for that long ain't normal." Hearing Octavio speak, Elliott looks up from his phone's camera and blinks dumbly.

"Huh?"

Octavio rolls his eyes and shuts his laptop, putting it on the coffee table beside him with his mouse and mousepad. He could tell Elliott was nervous about something, and he wasn't one to tiptoe around issues. Instead, he was very proactive and blunt about everything.

"Who're you dressing up for?" Octavio leans back onto the armrest behind him, one knee up with his arm resting on top of it, looking a little bored even though he started the conversation.

Elliott doesn't answer right away, instead he chews his lip and looks off to the side bashfully. He can't lie to Octavio, but at the same time he didn't really want to admit who it was for as he wasn't even sure if they would care that he was doing it in the first place.

"I, uh...Invited Bloodhound earlier." Octavio's brows furrow at this, he looked confused. It took him a second to realize that was the answer to his question, but once he did his expression changed to a very surprised look. That wasn't exactly what he expected to hear, and Elliott was acutely aware of this as he was still shocked himself.

"Hold up, you're dressing up for Bloodhound?" He sits upright at this, grinning slightly. "Since when?! Why?!" His legs are crossed under him and bouncing slightly from the excitement, and Elliott sighs before moving to sit with him on the opposite side of the couch.

"I wish you'd tell me that, 'cause honestly I don't know. I had a 'oh shit' moment earlier when I was hanging out with them earlier and-"

"You were hanging out with them?!" Octavio shot forward towards Elliott's face with a huge grin, practically vibrating at this point since he knew just as well as anyone that Bloodhound wasn't all that social. He had tried to talk to them and get them involved in their group activities at times, but their tendency to turn him down got old pretty quick. He wasn't known for his patience after all.

Elliott opened his mouth to reply, but right at that moment someone knocked on his door. He gave Octavio an apologetic smile as they groaned and dramatically collapsed onto the couch and stood up to answer the door. He looked through the peephole to see who it was and grinned when he saw Lifeline and Wraith, or as they were known outside of the games, Ajay and Renee. Ajay was wearing a leopard print figure hugging dress with black pumps, and she had braided her hair. Wraith on the other hand was wearing an oversized black shirt with ripped black leggings, accessorized with a simple choker and more piercings than usual. Her long hair wasn't in her usual bun, instead it was left down to frame her face which had a modest amount of make-up on.

Elliott opened the door and gave them his most charming smile and a wink before moving to the side to let them in. "Ladies, you both look lovely tonight." Wraith rolls her eyes with a smile in response, while Ajay gives him a hearty grin.

"Hey, Elliott, I guess we're early." Ajay comments as they watch Wraith wander off to look in Elliott's fridge and he shrugs in response.

"Nah, you're pretty much on time, I just haven't turned the music on yet." Ajay hums in response, then spots Octavio pouting at them from the couch and raises her eyebrow at him.

"What's with him?" She asks, crossing her arms and pointing at him with her thumb. Elliott just shrugs in response and she sighs, going off to join him on the couch. Elliott knew he'd tell her exactly what was going on but he wasn't worried, Ajay Che was a woman he could trust. It was Octavio he was worried about, for all he knew he was going to show off all night and make both Elliott and Bloodhound uncomfortable, and he obviously didn't want that to happen. He looks at his phone for the time, it was 7:40pm, and he feels a rush of anxiety flow through him as he realizes they might be here soon. It wasn't like him to get nervous like this over a little crush and he knows this, so he shakes it off and walks over to his sound system, finally deciding to turn the music on. He left it quiet for now, he would turn it up later, and a slow dance track wafted through the room. With the mood lighting and music, it finally was starting to feel like a party and he smiled a little at his handiwork. As the owner of a bar, Elliott believed he threw the best parties - and as he hadn't gotten any complaints so far, it seemed like everyone else who frequented them thought so too. It was nice for the legends to have little get-togethers like this away from the public, and the more outgoing ones always turned up to relax and have some fun.

The only other thing Elliott had to check on was his karaoke machine. It was a little something extra to get the party in full swing, and it seemed popular enough with everyone else. Elliott always took the first song as host, and once everyone had gotten some alcohol in their systems they usually joined in after. He busied himself with the wires on the back of the machine, making sure it was all sorted and ready to go on his huge flatscreen mounted on the wall in front of the couch. It was in the middle of this that someone else knocked on the door again, and he looked around to see if someone else could answer it for him while he was busy. Spying Wraith leaning back on his kitchen island while nursing a drink, he pouted at her pathetically while showing off the wires he was tangled up in. Seeing this, she sighed and pushed herself off the island, drink in hand. She opened the door and stood off to the side, smiling a little when she saw Wattson, Gibraltar and Pathfinder standing there.

Wattson(or Natalie) was wearing an electric blue skater dress with a white collar and mesh cut out, accessorized with a matching headband and kitten heels, Wraith was very aware of how cute she looked. Pathfinder was pathfinder, and Gibraltar(Makoa) was wearing a grey shirt with orange accents, reminiscent of his arena uniform. There was lots of chatter and happy greetings as everyone said hello to each other, and Elliott joined in once he had sorted out the karaoke machine. For the next ten minutes everyone socialized, Natalie and Renee were together in the kitchen raiding the snacks, and everyone else was chatting away on the couches surrounding the coffee table in the middle of the apartment. Elliott found himself sitting next to Octavio who as usual couldn't sit still, gesturing wildly while telling a story to Ajay, Pathfinder and Makoa, but he wasn't listening. Instead, he was religiously checking his phone every 10 seconds to see what the time was. The anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach hadn't gone away, and if anything it was getting worse as it got closer to 8pm.

Exactly when it turned 8pm, there was a short, loud knock on his apartment door.

Elliott was frozen in place as Ajay and Octavio looked over at him, waiting for him to get up and answer the door. When it took him longer than two whole seconds to stand up, Octavio pushed him off the couch and used both arms to gesture to the door without saying a word, and Pathfinder and Gibraltar looked at each other in confusion. Other than who was here now, there usually wasn't anyone else who joined these parties and everyone else's reactions had them pretty curious to who was behind the door.

"Alright, Elliot...You just have to open the door...Aaaand I'm talking to myself. Yep. Definitely don't look crazy." He muttered to himself and moved to the door as Ajay and Octavio giggled to themselves behind him. Elliott looked through the peephole once more and his heart stopped momentarily when he saw Bloodhound on the other side. They were looking down at their hands and rubbing their wrist absentmindedly, and Elliott noticed they weren't wearing their armour. He didn't let himself think about it too much though as he had to open the door to let them in, he couldn't stare at them for too long or he'd look really strange to the people behind him. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before opening the door.

“Bloodhound! You came!” Elliott grinned as he looked Bloodhound up and down, taking in the fact that they didn’t have any of their armour on. They looked strangely bare even though they were still fully covered without it. They were wearing their usual brown jacket and brown pants and all their other items of clothing sans the thick armour, leather bags and the fur that was usually around their neck, instead they had a plain satchel around their body. Elliott had no doubt there was a knife tucked away somewhere though.

“I did say I would. I also brought you a gift.” They stepped into the room and opened the satchel they were carrying, inside it was a large bottle with a clear liquid inside. The label was black and had some foreign writing on it, but Elliott could tell it was some sort of liquor.

“Oh, thanks, make yourself at home!” He takes it from them carefully and studies the label and even though he can’t read it, he can tell which number on the bottle is the alcohol content. It was a staggering 37.5% and Elliott whistled low when he saw it.

“It’s called _Svarti Dauði,_ it means Black Death. I thought it’d be interesting.” Elliott could hear some pride in their voice as they spoke, and when he looked up at them they bowed their head slightly before joining everyone else. They were all watching as Bloodhound walked over, and it was Gibraltar who spoke up first.

“Welcome, brotha! Elliott never mentioned you’d be here, what’s the occasion?” His friendly, booming voice relaxed the atmosphere instantly, and the conversations around the room continued once the initial shock wore off.

“I was invited.” Bloodhound replies simply as they sit down on one of the empty spaces near Octavio, leaning back with their arms folded.

“Wha...But whenever I invited you, you always said no!” Octavio whines.

“Maybe ‘cause it’s you.” Ajay leans forward with a smirk, and just like that Bloodhound is no longer the focus of attention as Octavio and Ajay playfully bicker. Bloodhound is grateful for the subject change, and looks over at Elliott who had just finished putting their gift on the kitchen island with the rest of the drinks, but then he gets caught by Natalie and gets persuaded to join in her conversation with Wraith. They can’t hear what they’re saying, so they turn their attention back to the one going on beside them, but that’s when they see Pathfinder looking at them. Seeing Bloodhound look their way, Pathfinder happily waves at them from across the table, but they get ignored as Bloodhound purposely looks away. They still hadn’t forgiven him for hitting their bird in the games apparently.

Elsewhere, Elliott finished up giving his opinions on which was the better snack, cheese puffs or tortilla chips(he chose tortilla chips) to Natalie and Wraith, and walked over to the rest of the party. They joined soon after, sitting on the floor by the coffee table since there wasn’t any more room for them between all of the legends. Elliott didn’t sit down though, instead he walked over to Bloodhound.

“D’you want a drink or anything? Snacks?” He leaned on the armrest next to them, bending down a little so that he could be quiet and not interrupt the conversations happening around them.

“I am fine, thank you. Maybe later.” Bloodhound replies quietly, also conscious of the activity around them. At that, Elliott nods and stands upright again, scanning the room briefly to see if anyone else needed any drinks before standing next to the karaoke machine.

“Gals and pals, who’s ready to have some fun?” Elliott calls out, twirling a microphone in his hand as he turns the karaoke machine on. Most of the legends behind him cheer and he grins as he’s in his element. Entertaining and being a good host was something that Elliott knew he was good at, and he took great pride in it. It was his time to shine.

“I nominate Ajay and Octavio for my backup singers for the first song of the night, there’s a list of songs on the table if anyone’s feeling brave too.” With that, Ajay stands up and grabs Octavio’s arm, pulling him over to the karaoke machine to join Elliott and see what song he had in mind.

“I was thinkin’ Kissing Strangers, is that cool with you guys?” Elliott says a bit quieter now as he hands both of them a microphone.

“We haven’t done dat one in ages, sounds good.” Ajay smiles, taking the mic and tapping the top of it briefly to test it, as Octavio leans in close to her to take a quick selfie with the mics before he goes next to the main microphone stand with Elliott.

He starts the music, and Natalie and Makoa cheer, while Wraith leans back and sips her drink. She wasn’t planning on singing unless she got really drunk, so for now she was going to get comfy and watch.

Elliott does the majority of the singing, he wasn’t at a professional level singer or anything, but he could sing decently and he wasn’t tone deaf. Ajay and Octavio joined in on the chorus and did the backup singing, but Ajay also did the rap solo halfway through which got a few cheers. They all danced together while they sang, though in Octavio’s case it was mostly just messing around and having a laugh, and some of the other legends joined in a little, Makoa drummed on his thigh in beat, and Natalie waved her hands in the air for some of it.

At the end, all three of them did a dramatic bow hand in hand, and got a wave of applause from all of the legends. After the applause died down, Natalie took up the next karaoke slot and skipped up to the machine so Elliott could set her up. It was during this downtime that Bloodhound got up to get a drink. They briefly made eye contact with Elliott and they also gave Natalie a quick, friendly wave as they walked past. Elliott quickly got her set up with her song(she chose a french song he wasn’t familiar with, but it was pretty catchy) and followed Bloodhound into the kitchen. They were looking at the selection of wines he had set out on his kitchen counter and he peeked over their shoulder at the one they currently had in their hands.

“I like my wine on the dry side personally.” Elliott comments, turning towards the island in the middle to get a drink of his own. Bloodhound carefully puts the bottle they were holding back on the counter and turns around to face him, head tilted as they lean back onto the counter.

“I do not usually drink it, but I am impressed by the variety here.” There’s a pause as they watch Elliott look through the drinks. “If you’re getting a drink, would you like to try the Svarti Dauði? We can celebrate your earlier progress.” They raise their hand to gesture at the ominous looking drink in the middle of the table, and Elliott lights up.

“Yeah sure, that sounds great. Did you say it was called...Black death, or something?” Elliott asks, and they nod in return as they come closer and pick the bottle up, opening it and pouring a generous amount of it into one of the shot glasses on the counter. They then pour a smaller amount into another glass and hand that one to Elliott as they put the bottle down once more. Elliott raises an eyebrow at the differences between the portions, almost offended, but doesn’t say anything as Bloodhound lifts their glass to toast.

“ _Til heiðurs afrekum þínum._ To your accomplishments.” Their glasses clink quietly, and Bloodhound watches as Elliott briefly looks at the clear liquid in his hand before knocking it back. He coughs a little and covers his mouth with the back of his hand from the burning in his throat and the foreign taste in his mouth, it wasn’t something he’d usually drink. It reminded him of a herbal vodka, and he briefly wondered if this was what was in their flask that night in the lounge.

Satisfied with Elliott’s response to the gift they had brought them, Bloodhound then turns around and lifts their mask just enough so they could also knock their shot back. Their portion goes down a lot easier than Elliott’s judging by how they show little reaction to it, the only evidence they had even downed it was the empty glass they put back onto the table when they turned back around.

“I prefer my drinks on the sweeter side, but...Occasionally I will partake in a round of Brennivín. What do you think?” They take Elliott’s glass and put it on top of theirs as they speak, carefully placing them in the sink before turning around with their head cocked to the side.

“P-potent.” Elliott manages to cough out, and at that, Bloodhound lets out an amused huff. Elliott’s eyebrows raised in surprise at the rare show of emotion, it wasn’t quite a laugh, but it was the most he had gotten out of them so far and it wasn’t a sound he was going to forget. They shook their head side to side softly and their posture looked so much more relaxed than usual, Elliott could easily imagine them smiling underneath their mask at that moment.

“You are not wrong.” They commented, but then they looked past Elliott as Natalie finished her song. Everyone in the other room clapped and whooped as she curtsied and went to sit back down, and this prompted Bloodhound to start walking out of the kitchen.

“Come now, Elliott. You have guests to entertain.” As they walked past him, they put one hand on his back and gently pushed him towards the party before he could argue.

Bloodhound’s gloved hand gently rested on Elliott’s back for half of the way back to the couches, but even 5 minutes later when both of them were settled and no longer touching, Elliott’s face was still radiating heat and Octavio was still grinning at him. Bloodhound, who sat next to him, was quiet for the rest of the party, only speaking when spoken to. At one point Elliott had even forgotten they were there for a minute until they stretched and their joints cracked loudly, which prompted Elliott to whisper a joke to them about their age. He got a light shove on the shoulder in response which made him smile.

The next person to sing was Octavio, and he livened the party up by singing Boring by P!nk. He wasn’t a bad singer, but his entertainment value stole the show. His lively dancing(which involved rubbing up to every single person there, yes, even Bloodhound at one point, much to Elliott's chagrin) and performance had almost everyone cheering for him, and Elliott even jokingly threw money at him at one point.

The karaoke carried on for hours and most of the legends got progressively more and more drunk, with Octavio being the worst off as he got wasted. Once he passed out on the couch, Elliott(with the help of Ajay) unlocked his door and half dragged, half carried the adrenaline junkie to his bed and the party started calming down after that. Elliott changed the music playlist to a calmer one to fit the mood, and one by one people started leaving for the night. Surprisingly Bloodhound stayed the entire time, only occasionally getting up to venture to the kitchen for what Elliott assumed was more shots, and they even brought back a bowl of pistachios to snack on at one point, which they left on the coffee table when they had eaten them all.

Eventually only Elliott, Bloodhound, Wraith and Ajay were left in his apartment(if you didn’t count Octavio), and Elliott felt comfy, warm and tired. All of the excitement the day had brought had left him drowsy now and he yawned as he leaned back into the couch. Wraith and Ajay were talking about something he wasn’t paying attention to opposite him and Bloodhound, and he assumed Bloodhound was pretty invested in their conversation since they were still hanging out with them. His eyes closed, and between listening to the softly spoken conversation opposite him and his own tiredness, it barely took him five minutes to fall asleep right there.

\--

Bloodhound was carefully listening to Wraith and Ajay talk about Wraith’s voices, it was fascinating. They felt a bit uncomfortable at the same time however, as it seemed to be highly personal and for Ajay’s ears only. They wondered if they even realized they were still there, but just assumed they trusted them enough not to go around blabbing about it to the public, which they wouldn’t of course.  
They were thinking about going back to their own dwellings soon, they had enjoyed the party so far which surprised them, but it was way past the usual 10pm that they slept at and they could feel how drowsy they were. They rolled their neck and it audibly cracked, which got the attention of the women opposite them and they looked right over at Bloodhound. Wraith’s eyebrows were raised slightly in surprise, but Ajay just chuckled and stretched her arms out which also made a loud crack. This made both of the girls chuckle a little, and with that they both stood up one after the other.

“Right, I think it’s time all of us old people go home.” Wraith jokes, earning a scoff from Ajay.

“”Yeah, it’s pretty late...You comin’, Bloodhound?” Ajay asks, picking up some of the stray glasses on the coffee table and putting the empty bowl of nuts on the crook of her arm.

“I will leave shortly, you are welcome to go ahead.” They stand up as well now and pick up the rest of the glasses and red cups left behind, it would be rude to leave Elliott’s apartment the way it was and they wanted to help Ajay.

“Okay, but before you leave do me a favour and check on Tavi for me, would ya? I should…” She pauses to yawn, covering her mouth with her arm. “...Really get going.”

“Certainly.” Bloodhound replies and follows her to Elliott’s kitchen, where they both put everything in the sink before covering up the snacks and putting them away. Ajay says one last goodbye before leaving with Wraith who was waiting at the door and then Bloodhound was the only conscious person in Elliott’s apartment.They also wanted to leave, but first they had to check up on Octavio. They started by turning off the music by the karaoke machine and then silently walked past Elliott, who was somehow still sitting upright despite being in a deep sleep. Once they got to his bedroom door, they slowly opened it and peaked inside.

Elliott’s bedroom was similar to his room on the dropship, dark with yellow(sometimes quilted) accents and covered floor to ceiling in fanmail and pictures of himself. There were some items of clothing scattered around here and there, but overall it wasn’t messy, just lived in. There were multiple mirrors scattered around as well, with one especially large mirror taking pride of place opposite the king-sized bed, which was covered in expensive looking pillows and a soft grey bed throw. It looked very cozy and comfortable, and judging by the light snoring coming from bed, their judgement was right. Octavio was face down on the bed, spread out like a starfish and his jacket was folded and put on the chair next to Elliott’s vanity. 

Satisfied that Octavio was alive and breathing, Bloodhound quietly shut the door once more and walked back to Elliott, sitting down beside him with their body facing him.

“Elliott?” They called quietly, feeling a little awkward as they didn’t want to wake him, but they didn’t want to just leave him there either. Elliott was going to have such a sore neck if he slept like that all night, and they knew he wouldn’t stop complaining about it tomorrow if they didn’t make him move.

“Elliot, you need to-” Bloodhound inhaled sharply as Elliott shifted and his head fell onto their shoulder, and they tried to hold him up to stop him from falling onto their lap. It was a little bit difficult however, as even though there was barely any difference in their heights, Elliott was heavier than them since he had more muscle than they did. Bloodhound was pretty toned and had plenty of muscle themselves, but they were built mainly for endurance while Elliott was more about physical strength. With all of Elliott’s weight on them, they ended up having to let him fall onto their lap and Bloodhound’s fists clenched from the sudden awkwardness they felt.

“I need to leave, please get up.” They bend down slightly to get closer to his ear and put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it just hard enough to make him shake a little. This makes Elliott stir a little, and he rolls over so he’s facing Bloodhound, who now has their hand resting on his chest. Feeling empowered now that he had responded, they tried again.

“Elliott Witt, I know you are awake.” They are still bending down when Elliott’s eyes flutter open.

\--

It takes Elliott two seconds for his expression to go from extremely confused to what the fuck is happening and why am I on Bloodhound’s lap? He was still on the edge of drunk and tipsy, but the sudden adrenaline from realizing the situation he was in helped him sober up pretty quickly.

“Uh...Hi? At least buy me dinner first.” He nervously chuckles and looks at the gloved hand on his chest, swallowing a bit as he averts his eyes. Bloodhound lets out an amused huff before taking their hand off of Elliott’s chest and sitting upright to give him enough space to get up.

“You fell onto my lap when I tried waking you up.” Bloodhound remarks as they watch Elliott try to pull himself up.

“Hah, even in my sleep I can’t resist you I guess!” Bloodhound doesn’t reply, but instead stands up when Elliott is upright and heads towards his bedroom again.

“Whoa, moving it to the bedroom already?” Elliott grins, he still had liquid confidence running through his veins and he followed them to his room, leaning on the doorway as they opened his wardrobe and looked for something. He was a bit wobbly on his feet still so he didn’t go any farther than that just yet. Bloodhound then pulled out a large, fluffy looking blanket and walked over to Elliott with it, giving it to him to hold.

“I have not had nearly enough to drink for that. But unless you wish to sleep with Octane, you’ll have to sleep on your couch.” They gesture to the couch behind him and Elliott just looks between them and Octavio, who was still snoring.

“Aw, he took my bed? Dammit…” Elliott pauses and his mouth slowly curls upwards in a smug grin. “Can I share yours instead?”

“I am going to need at least 3 bottles of Svarti Dauði before that happens.” They reply dryly, and Elliott pouts as they push him towards his couch. “Now, go to bed, but not on my lap.” With that, they stand cross armed above Elliott as he lies down and gets comfy - but not without propping his head up with his hand and posing a little.

“But you didn’t say no.” Elliott says with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Elliott.” They warn, he was pushing their buttons and he knew it.

“Yes, Bloodhound?”

They sigh heavily and having had enough, goes to Elliott’s door to turn off the lights.

“Goodnight.”

Before Elliott could reply, Bloodhound was out of the door and it was pitch black in his apartment other than the lights from his electronics. He sighs and falls back onto his couch, staring at his ceiling with a smile on his face and a blush on his cheeks. Elliott would stay awake for a while longer, thinking only of Bloodhound’s mask so close to his own, and them gently touching his chest as he laid on their firm, but comfortable thighs.

They still didn’t say no.


End file.
